Diverse Group Discusses Crime Concerns, Solutions

July 19, 1991|by MONICA RODRIGUEZ, The Morning Call

More than 100 people from diverse ethnic backgrounds gathered last night at a local church to discuss their concerns, including slow police response to complaints and rudeness on the part of dispatchers, and to find solutions to the crime problems plaguing Center City.

The meeting, organized by Allentown Citizens Together, a group working to clean up the crime and drug problems residents are facing, was at Trinity United Methodist Church in Allentown. State legislators and representative from various municipal agencies attended.

Dan Bartley, coordinator for ACT and city human relations liaison, said he was satisfied with the turnout and especially glad to see such an ethnically diverse crowd.

He said the meeting gave people a chance to meet and get to know their neighbors.

"It's just good for people in general and it's the right thing to do," he said.

Both Bartley and Community Police Officer David Patino attributed the turnout to a door-to-door campaign in which they and Community Police Officer George Bradley walked through the community letting people know about ACT and the meeting.

Translators were available to translate questions asked in Spanish and then to translate the English answers into Spanish. At the end of the meeting, however, some people said they missed important information because most of the meeting was conducted in English.

Some residents at the meeting said they have at one time or other had their complaints ignored by police dispatchers, experienced rude behavior by police or had police officers say they could not make an arrest.

Sharon Adams, who owns property near Chew and Law streets, said that her tenants have seen youths painting graffiti on her buildings but that when police arrive they say no arrests can be made since they did not see the crime take place themselves.

"If you saw them that's good enough," Bartley said.

One of Adams' tenants, Lisa Scheland, said her father was harassed by people who had painted graffiti in the halls of the building he lives in after he called police.

Scheland said after the meeting that crime problems are not limited to dealing with graffiti.

After her building got new mail boxes with new locks they were vandalized by drug dealers, she said.

"They (drug dealers) broke the lock and put their coke in my mail box," she said.

Bartley said after the meeting that delays in response and communication problems between police and residents happen from time to time.

"We're all human beings," he said. "We also have a lot of young police officers trying to learn to be police officers."

"But we encourage residents to let us know," when such things occur, he said.

Patino urged residents to report such matters to the community police officers who will follow up on the complaints.

"Talk to me; I'll find out what the problem is," Patino said.

Patino and Bartley told residents that no call goes without being checked out, though at times there may be delays because police are tied up on other calls. However, they urged people to keep calling police if they see crimes take place.

"We want you to call, call, call," Bartley said.

Alonzo Sparrow, who lives at 5th and Turner streets, said that senior citizens are often witnesses to crime but fear retaliation if they report things.

Bartley said a person can report a crime without having to give police his or her name. Bartley also recommended that residents become members of the CHEC team and fill out CHEC cards. CHEC stands for Citizens Helping Eliminate Crime.

If a person uses the CHEC system, he can report a crime using only an assigned number, Bartley said.

Only the community police officers assigned to the area have access to the cards and will refer to them only in serious situations, Bartley said.

Bartley said it is highly that a person who witnesses and reports a crime would be asked to testify in court if the suspect is caught.

"Something we need to change is our attitude," Bartley said. "We either stand up to (crime) or we let it roll over us."

Bartley said the solution to fighting crime would be using a telephone buddy system in which residents would be paired off. Neighbors notify one another if they see suspicious activities. In this manner several people can keep an eye out and then report the problems to police.

By becoming extra sets of eyes and ears for the police, residents can help them catch criminals faster and more easily, he said.